Helvetica is one of the most popular typefaces of all time. It was designed by Max Miedinger in 1957 for the Haas foundry of Switzerland (the name is derived from Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland).

The design is based on the grotesques of the late nineteenth century, but new refinements put it in the sans serif sub-category of neo-grotesque. Shortly after its introduction, the Stempel foundry purchased the original Helvetica typeface and developed a full series of weights. In the 1960s Helvetica came to the United States, where alignment standards differed; Mergenthaler Linotype copied the Stempel series and then added several new versions of the design. Helvetica is an all-purpose type design that can deliver practically any message clearly and efficiently.

The condensed and compressed Helvetica designs are excellent for display applications such as newspaper or newsletter headlines, billboards, and advertising.

The basic design of Helvetica Rounded is the same as the design of the standard Helvetica typefaces. Designed in 1980, it differs only in the stroke endings, which are rounded rather than squared off. The overall effect of this display type is more playful and friendly than its traditional relative.

The Helvetica font was developed by Max Miedinger with Edüard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland and quickly became an international hit in the graphic arts world. With its clean, smooth lines, it reflected a modern look that many designers were seeking. At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity. Once it caught on, the typeface began to be used extensively in signage, in package labeling, in poster art, in advertising—in short, everywhere. Inclusion of the font in home computer systems, such as the Apple Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity.

Fans of Helvetica tout its legibility and its versatility, finding it equally “perfect” for use in a corporate logo or on a local street sign. But not everyone is a fan. Some designers find Helvetica to be dull, predictable and boring. In the 1970s, a backlash occurred when young designers began looking for more energetic, expressive ways to present information. This post-modernist reaction to Helvetica included the “grunge” period of the 1990s, when designers experimented with new concepts in graphic communication, moving away from the orderly, predictable look of Helvetica to a mix of print styles and a wildly varying use of color and line.

Interviewees in HELVETICA include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, such as Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Tobias Frere-Jones, Bruno Steinert, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor and Lars Müller. Through the framework of graphic design, HELVETICA explores the tension between the adherence to established principles of design and the desire to express individual thought and taste. The film acknowledges the belief that art is subjective, revealing that print is far more than merely letters forming words.